Zoom Meetings Are Not The Same As Video Interview Etiquette

March 15, 2021 in Career and Job Search Tips, Interview Tips

 

 

Thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, videoconferencing has changed the way corporate meetings are being conducted. Understandably, as part of the “new normal,” a lot of former business expectations have been relaxed. We’ve all seen videos of television professionals getting interrupted mid-stream by toddlers, cats, and dogs unexpectedly joining Zoom meetings, and workers who don’t realize their boxer shorts or pajama bottoms are visible on camera. We’ve become accustomed to (and entertained by) these new informalities. What about a video interview etiquette?

Make no mistake: these relaxed expectations do not apply to video interview etiquette.

Kinsa Group recently had a candidate rejected for this very reason. After a stellar phone interview, my client asked me to arrange a follow up video interview. It didn’t go well. My candidate was dressed very informally. She had a beverage and kept slurping from it–a noise that was greatly magnified by the earbuds/mic she was using–and her cat kept walking on her laptop keyboard, getting between her and the camera.

When I shared that feedback, my candidate was really taken aback. She explained that she had just wrapped up a Zoom meeting with her team, and it didn’t occur to her that the rules for her next video call were significantly different. An important lesson learned, but an unfortunate way to learn it!

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This blog was written by George Blomgren, Kinsa Group Recruiting Manager.